Papers

20 results
|
Article Tier 2

Effect of particle density on microplastics transport in artificial and natural porous media

Researchers studied how the density of microplastic particles affects their movement through soil and sediment in laboratory column experiments. They found that lighter, less dense microplastics traveled farther and were retained less in the soil compared to denser particles, and that natural sediments captured more microplastics than uniform glass beads. The findings help explain how different types of microplastics spread through groundwater and soil environments at different rates.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Impact of particle density on the mobility of microplastics in sediments

This study investigates how the density of microplastic particles affects their mobility through soil and potential to reach groundwater, using column experiments with polyethylene particles of different densities. Particle density was found to influence transport behavior, with implications for understanding how microplastics migrate through terrestrial environments.

BOK:ePub (Universitätsbibliothek der Universität f Bodenkultur Wien)
Article Tier 2

Subsurface transport of microplastic particles in gravel columns: Impacts of different rain events and particle characteristics

Researchers conducted column experiments using pre-stained microplastic particles of two density types in gravel sediment to investigate how different rainfall intensities and land-use scenarios influence the vertical transport and retention of microplastics in subsurface environments. The study found that both particle density and rainfall event characteristics significantly affected microplastic mobility through subsurface sediments, informing models of microplastic fate in soil-water systems.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Subsurface transport of microplastic particles in gravel columns: Impacts of different rain events and particle characteristics

Researchers conducted column experiments using 110 cm wet-packed fine gravel columns to examine subsurface transport of two microplastic types — polystyrene (denser than water) and polyethylene (less dense than water) at 50 µm median size — under different simulated rainfall scenarios including continuous rain, wet-dry cycles, and single events followed by drying. They found that particle density, rainfall pattern, and subsurface heterogeneity all influenced microplastic vertical transport and retention depth in gravel sediments.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Flume experiments on transport and deposition behavior of microplastics in sediment bed environments

Researchers ran 42 flume experiments with three model sediments and spherical microplastics of varying size and density, finding that deposition depth is governed by sediment porosity and the grain-to-particle diameter ratio, while transport is primarily controlled by particle density and initial placement, providing data to improve MP mass balance models.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Mechanism comparisons of transport-deposition-reentrainment between microplastics and natural mineral particles in porous media: A theoretical and experimental study

Researchers compared the transport, deposition, and re-entrainment behavior of microplastic particles versus natural mineral particles in porous media, finding key differences driven by density, surface charge, and shape that affect how microplastics migrate through soils and sediments.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 30 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport and retention of polyethylene microplastics in saturated porous media: Effect of physicochemical properties

Researchers studied how polyethylene microplastics move through water-saturated sand and gravel, testing the effects of particle size, water chemistry, and flow speed. They found that smaller microplastics traveled farther through the porous material, while higher salt concentrations and lower flow rates increased particle retention. The findings help explain how microplastics may spread through groundwater systems under real-world conditions.

2025 Environmental Pollution and Management 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Preliminary investigation on effects of size, polymer type, and surface behaviour on the vertical mobility of microplastics in a porous media

Laboratory sand column experiments investigated how microplastic size, polymer type, and surface chemistry influence retention and transport behavior in subsurface environments. Results showed that smaller particles and those with surface modifications traveled farther, informing predictions of microplastic migration in soils and groundwater.

2022 The Science of The Total Environment 69 citations
Article Tier 2

Retention and transport behavior of microplastic particles in water-saturated porous media

Researchers investigated microplastic transport in water-saturated porous media using polystyrene microspheres, finding that particle size primarily determined retention behavior, with 50 nm particles showing high mobility while 500 nm particles exhibited greater attachment and slower migration.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 105 citations
Article Tier 2

One-Dimensional Experimental Investigation of Polyethylene Microplastic Transport in a Homogeneous Saturated Medium

Researchers conducted one-dimensional column experiments to characterize the transport of polyethylene microplastics through saturated homogeneous granular media, using fluorescent tracers and inverse modeling to calculate hydrodynamic transport parameters and identify media characteristics that influence microplastic mobility in groundwater.

2022 Frontiers in Environmental Science 18 citations
Article Tier 2

SiO2 and microparticle transport in a saturated porous medium: effects of particle size and flow rate

Column experiments tracking the movement of polystyrene microplastic particles and silica particles through saturated gravel showed that larger particles are retained more strongly, but higher water flow rates push both types deeper into the porous medium. At the same flow rate, 10-micrometer polystyrene particles were retained 46% more effectively than 2-micrometer particles, illustrating how particle size and water velocity interact to control microplastic transport through subsurface environments. Understanding these dynamics is important for predicting how microplastics reach groundwater and spread through aquifer systems.

2024 Applied Water Science 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Transport of Microplastics Through Porous Media: Influence of Porosity and Pore-Water Velocity

Researchers investigated microplastic transport through porous media under varying porosity and pore-water velocity conditions relevant to groundwater systems. Higher pore-water velocities increased microplastic transport distance, while lower porosity soils retained more particles near the surface, providing experimental data to improve models predicting microplastic migration toward drinking water aquifers.

2025
Article Tier 2

Subsurface transport of microplastics in riverine sediment: Impacts of different rain events and particle density

Microplastics added to the surface of riverbed gravel columns gradually migrate deeper into the sediment as rain events accumulate, especially through repeated wet-dry cycles. Both polystyrene (denser than water) and polyethylene (less dense) particles traveled deeper over time, with smaller, less hydrophobic particles moving farthest. This shows that riverine sediment is not just a permanent sink for microplastics but can also funnel them downward into groundwater aquifers and subsurface habitats.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Infiltration Behavior of Microplastic Particles with Different Densities, Sizes, and Shapes—From Glass Spheres to Natural Sediments

Laboratory column experiments showed that microplastic infiltration depth in sediment increases as particle size decreases and sediment grain size increases, with spherical particles penetrating deepest and fibers infiltrating least. The results help define appropriate sampling depths for environmental microplastic monitoring depending on sediment type.

2020 Environmental Science & Technology 223 citations
Article Tier 2

Fate and transport of fragmented and spherical microplastics in saturated gravel and quartz sand

Researchers studied the fate and transport of fragmented and spherical microplastics through saturated gravel aquifer columns, finding that particle shape strongly influences transport distance, with fragments traveling farther than spheres.

2024 Journal of Environmental Quality 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils

Researchers investigated the behaviour and transport of microplastics under saturated flow conditions in sediments and soils, examining how particle properties influence movement through porous media. The study aimed to improve understanding of subsurface microplastic fate and transport relevant to both soil and groundwater contamination.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Transport and retention mechanism of microplastics in saturated porous media: Dominance of layer sequence and modulation by solution chemistry

Researchers found that the layered sequence of sand structures in saturated porous media dominates microplastic transport and retention patterns, with coarse-to-fine layering trapping more particles than fine-to-coarse sequences, and solution chemistry further modulating these physical effects.

2025 Journal of Hazardous Materials
Article Tier 2

Transport and deposition of microplastic particles in saturated porous media: Co-effects of clay particles and natural organic matter

Researchers performed column experiments to study how clay particles and natural organic matter affect microplastic transport through saturated porous media, finding that both colloids reduced MP mobility through heteroaggregation and that their combined presence produced the greatest reduction in transport.

2021 Environmental Pollution 124 citations
Article Tier 2

Experimental and simulated microplastics transport in saturated natural sediments: Impact of grain size and particle size

Researchers tested how microplastics of different sizes move through natural soil and sediment layers, finding that smaller particles (10-20 micrometers) passed through easily while larger ones got trapped. In gravel, over 85% of the smallest microplastics made it through the sediment column. This means microplastics on the land surface can gradually leach down into underground aquifers that supply drinking water, representing a potential route of human exposure.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 34 citations
Article Tier 2

Laboratory Experiments on the Transport of Microplastic Particles in Gravel and Sand Sediments

Researchers used column experiments to study the transport and infiltration behavior of PET, POM, PMMA, and PS microplastic particles across a range of sizes and densities in gravel and sand sediments, employing a novel ice-embedding technique to introduce particles and measuring their depth distribution after three days of flow.

2024